Napoleon Restored! We’ve always wanted to release a definitive edition of Abel Gance’s silent masterpiece Napoleon. And we hope to one day, but it’s a project of enormous complexity. American audiences will finally have a chance to see the epic film in its fullest form this month at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. Restorer extraordinaire Kevin Brownlow has had a lifelong passion for Napoleon, hours of which were cut after its 1927 premiere. He’s been gradually reconstructing it for decades. The first unveiling in the U.S. of the results of his Herculean effort took place at the Telluride Film Festival in 1979. In the ensuing years, Brownlow unearthed and added another hour-plus of footage. The screenings at the Paramount—on March 24, 25, and 31 and April 1—will be of the most complete version ever seen in the U.S., at five and a half hours, and will feature the premiere live performance in this country of composer Carl Davis’s original score.

I really do hope they`ll release it some time,maybe even on blu!

< Message edited by TheGodfather -- 14/3/2012 10:00:33 PM >

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

Napoleon Restored! We’ve always wanted to release a definitive edition of Abel Gance’s silent masterpiece Napoleon. And we hope to one day, but it’s a project of enormous complexity. American audiences will finally have a chance to see the epic film in its fullest form this month at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. Restorer extraordinaire Kevin Brownlow has had a lifelong passion for Napoleon, hours of which were cut after its 1927 premiere. He’s been gradually reconstructing it for decades. The first unveiling in the U.S. of the results of his Herculean effort took place at the Telluride Film Festival in 1979. In the ensuing years, Brownlow unearthed and added another hour-plus of footage. The screenings at the Paramount—on March 24, 25, and 31 and April 1—will be of the most complete version ever seen in the U.S., at five and a half hours, and will feature the premiere live performance in this country of composer Carl Davis’s original score.

I really do hope they`ll release it some time,maybe even on blu!

Studio Canal are releasing the shorter cut on DVD soon, but not Blu at the moment. Kevin Brownlow claims that his version (the one discussed above) will never see home release though, although I'm not quite sure why. I'm actually with him next month, so I'll ask!

ORIGINAL: elab49 Are they still having problems with Coppola? I'd hoped if they were reshowing this in the US then that might finally have been sorted.

According to Brownlow the main thing holding back a home video release are his own intentions for the film, weirdly enough. He quite simply doesn't believe that the film would work in a home environment.

Here's an excerpt from an interview with him.

quote:

But will there be a DVD and BluRay release of the restored version in the near future?

No. The cost of recording the 5½ hour Carl Davis score is prohibitively expensive for the DVD/BluRay market… and of course you wouldn’t have the dramatic Polyvision finale that you’ll experience in the theater. The triptych would merely be letterboxed onto your television — no matter how big it is.

I can respect that. As much as it pains me! I'll certainly be seeing the film when it makes it to the UK next year, and should be seeing some of it in a couple of weeks too, so while its a little annoying that there won't be a definitive home release the fact that it will remain genuine event cinema ought to be lauded. They've actually had to construct special three-portion projection booths at the venues its playing at this month in the US!

Beautiful covers for The 39 Steps and especially for The Gold Rush!! Great month overall, title wise. Both of the above are instant buys and looking forward to delving into the Soderbergh and Doyle films that I haven`t seen yet. Finally, finally another good month as so far there hasn`t been a great month this year in my book.

-edit- make that a GREAT month if they`ll release the Samurai trilogy on blu as well.

< Message edited by elab49 -- 18/3/2012 12:36:41 PM >

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

Great month overall, title wise. Both of the above are instant buys and looking forward to delving into the Soderbergh and Doyle films that I haven`t seen yet.

I'm excited about the two Soderbergh's myself. The Gold Rush is a problematic release, being that its the awful 1942 re-release that is the "official" version of the film according to the Chaplin family, and so is the one that gets the best treatment. What he did to The Gold Rush is actually pretty unforgivable, and goes some way to ruining one of the greatest films of all time.

I'm excited about the two Soderbergh's myself. The Gold Rush is a problematic release, being that its the awful 1942 re-release that is the "official" version of the film according to the Chaplin family, and so is the one that gets the best treatment. What he did to The Gold Rush is actually pretty unforgivable, and goes some way to ruining one of the greatest films of all time.

Both versions are in there (note that the cover doesn`t have a year on there, both in restored versions so that`s great. Haven`t seen either, by the way. Great to see the Samurai trilogy on blu, never came around to picking up the dvd version

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

Both versions are in there (note that the cover doesn`t have a year on there, both in restored versions so that`s great.

So it is, thats great, I had assumed that the original version was but an afterthought, as with the MK2 and Park Circus Blu-ray from last year. That disc had both versions, but the 1925 version wasn't restored or anything.

Anatomy of a Murder Brilliant court drama and a complaint against the American justice system by Otto Preminger in wich James Stewart in a brilliant way portrays a lawyer who needs to defend a military officer. He`s accused of murdering the man who raped his wife. You`re really sucked into the story and need to form your own opinion, especially about the verdict that the jury will give. The films is well over 2,5 hours long but doesn`t bore one second. Thanks to the acting from the entire cast, the beautiful camera work and jazz soundtrack by Duke Ellington you`ll keep watching and stay focussed until the brilliant ending!

The picture quality on the Criterion blu-ray is fantastic, for everyone who still isn`t convinced that blu-ray can work for old films this is a must. And for everyone else also!

9,5/10

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

Both versions are in there (note that the cover doesn`t have a year on there, both in restored versions so that`s great.

So it is, thats great, I had assumed that the original version was but an afterthought, as with the MK2 and Park Circus Blu-ray from last year. That disc had both versions, but the 1925 version wasn't restored or anything.

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheGodfather Haven`t seen either, by the way.

Don't bother with the sound version. It's a curiosity at best.

So when I get that, first watch the 1925 version? And can you with any certainty say what Chaplin films Criterion or MoC are certainly not going to release? because I would love to see more of his work (Modern Times and The Great Dictator are his only 2 films I have now, both on Criterion blu-ray) but it`s a shame to buy a dvd/blu-ray and then a little later see it released by Criterion or MoC...

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

ORIGINAL: TheGodfather So when I get that, first watch the 1925 version?

Definitely. It's an absolute masterpiece.

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheGodfather And can you with any certainty say what Chaplin films Criterion or MoC are certainly not going to release? because I would love to see more of his work (Modern Times and The Great Dictator are his only 2 films I have now, both on Criterion blu-ray) but it`s a shame to buy a dvd/blu-ray and then a little later see it released by Criterion or MoC...

Chaplin's an interesting filmmaker in that pretty much all of his work was produced on contracts that saw him retain the rights to his films. He was much savvier than many of his contemporaries. Basically, all of his features up to and including A King In New York are the property of his family. Using Modern Times, The Great Dictator and The Gold Rush as benchmarks one would safely assume that Criterion will be releasing all of the independently owned Chaplin films, just as Park Circus, MK2 and Warner have in the past. Chaplin's final film, A Countess From Hong Kong is owned by Universal, and is unlikely to be released by Criterion.

For reference these are the features (not including A Countess From Hong Kong). Red indicates released/announced. -

The Kid A Woman Of Paris The Gold Rush The Circus City Lights Modern TimesThe Great Dictator Monsieur Verdoux Limelight A King In New York

If I was a betting man I'd guess that City Lights, Limelight, The Kid and The Circus will be next to show up. Saying that, the Orson Welles connection might bring Monsieur Verdoux to the fore sooner. I guess we'll see, but yeah, the agreement that Criterion currently have in place covers the above films.

Dazed and Confused Every year on the first day of spring I watch my favorite coming-of-age film. A film that by telling the stories of a group of high-school kids shows what the spring and summer are about for a big part: having a great time with your friends, enjoying the great weather, doing whatever you please and meeting strangers and having discussions and talks with them about really nothing at all, all while enjoying a nice cold drink. Linklater brings this across in a fantastic way and every time I see I long for those long summer days that last into the small hours where you only go to bed when the sun is rising again... The picture is completed by an excellent and excellently fitting soundtrack. For me personally this is a masterpiece. One of my all-time favorites.

9,5/10

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

ORIGINAL: TheGodfather So when I get that, first watch the 1925 version?

Definitely. It's an absolute masterpiece.

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheGodfather And can you with any certainty say what Chaplin films Criterion or MoC are certainly not going to release? because I would love to see more of his work (Modern Times and The Great Dictator are his only 2 films I have now, both on Criterion blu-ray) but it`s a shame to buy a dvd/blu-ray and then a little later see it released by Criterion or MoC...

Chaplin's an interesting filmmaker in that pretty much all of his work was produced on contracts that saw him retain the rights to his films. He was much savvier than many of his contemporaries. Basically, all of his features up to and including A King In New York are the property of his family. Using Modern Times, The Great Dictator and The Gold Rush as benchmarks one would safely assume that Criterion will be releasing all of the independently owned Chaplin films, just as Park Circus, MK2 and Warner have in the past. Chaplin's final film, A Countess From Hong Kong is owned by Universal, and is unlikely to be released by Criterion.

For reference these are the features (not including A Countess From Hong Kong). Red indicates released/announced. -

The Kid A Woman Of Paris The Gold Rush The Circus City Lights Modern TimesThe Great Dictator Monsieur Verdoux Limelight A King In New York

If I was a betting man I'd guess that City Lights, Limelight, The Kid and The Circus will be next to show up. Saying that, the Orson Welles connection might bring Monsieur Verdoux to the fore sooner. I guess we'll see, but yeah, the agreement that Criterion currently have in place covers the above films.

So that means that any of those films can be/probably will be released by Criterion some time? so what would you suggest? wait for the Criterions or are there good alternatives for now? being kind of a Chaplin newbie, what would be the smarter thing to do?

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

Design For Living Very entertaining pre-code film by Ernst Lubitsch about a lady who can`t choose between two friends (one a playwright, the other a painter) who both are in love with her. The usual ingredients for a pre-code Hollywood film are present here as well: witty dialogues that, especially for the female character, of course just go that little but further than in the Hays code period and have a lot of sexually themed jokes. Lubitsch very well knows how to make it into a quick and fun film.

7,8/10

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

So that means that any of those films can be/probably will be released by Criterion some time? so what would you suggest? wait for the Criterions or are there good alternatives for now? being kind of a Chaplin newbie, what would be the smarter thing to do?

All of those probably will be released by Criterion at some point yes. Personally though, I'd keep an eye on this DVD Box-set and go for it when its cheap.

So that means that any of those films can be/probably will be released by Criterion some time? so what would you suggest? wait for the Criterions or are there good alternatives for now? being kind of a Chaplin newbie, what would be the smarter thing to do?

All of those probably will be released by Criterion at some point yes. Personally though, I'd keep an eye on this DVD Box-set and go for it when its cheap.

So that means that any of those films can be/probably will be released by Criterion some time? so what would you suggest? wait for the Criterions or are there good alternatives for now? being kind of a Chaplin newbie, what would be the smarter thing to do?

All of those probably will be released by Criterion at some point yes. Personally though, I'd keep an eye on this DVD Box-set and go for it when its cheap.

Yep, its a shame, although the same company do sell the films individually on Blu-ray (they're not very good tho). Personally I have the big box set, and I've been buying the criterions as and when they're released anyway!

Well, since this forum is ALWAYS having problems showing pics from the Criterion site, here are the July titles

Le Havre (Aki Kaurismaki) is the only new title to the collection Other announcements are upgrades only: Down By Law, Metropolitan and Last Days Of Disco. Also getting one Eclipse set, from Jean Grémillon

That`s one hell of a dissapointing month, expected more new titles... Will get Le Havre at some point though...

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What? Brett: What? Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

Well, since this forum is ALWAYS having problems showing pics from the Criterion site, here are the July titles

Le Havre (Aki Kaurismaki) is the only new title to the collection Other announcements are upgrades only: Down By Law, Metropolitan and Last Days Of Disco. Also getting one Eclipse set, from Jean Grémillon

That`s one hell of a dissapointing month, expected more new titles... Will get Le Havre at some point though...

Le Havre is fantastic, and I'm glad to see Criterion handling it. Like you say tho, its a little flat elsewhere. Presumably the Stillman Blu's are to tie-in with the theatrical release of Damsels In Distress.

Anyone know what's going on with this? Is it likely to be released eventually or are they having difficulty re-licensing everything?

Universal only released it themselves last year, so there's probably a time issue.

I'd much rather have Naked Lunch, personally

Oh no, I`d LOVE a definitve blu-ray release of Brazil!!

Read this yesterday, it was posted on another forum:

Nice article at criterioncast.com

Rumor Round-Up: What Can We Expect From The Criterion Collection, For The Second Half Of 2012?

quote:

So at this point the one July title that I’m most certain about is Down By Law. I wrote about it last week on our Tumblr, in regards to an announced screening of the film in Austin in July. If Criterion continues the trend of teasing the new titles on their Facebook page, we can expect to see some portions of covers and screenshots in the next few days.

Other potential Blu-ray upgrades that we might see this summer? Things like Nanook of the North and Picnic at Hanging Rock have been teased at. I’d also love to see Criterion finally release a definitive Brazil Blu-ray box set, now that we’re almost a year from the Blu-ray that Universal released. Last year we also saw the Fassbinder box set go out of print, but it seems like a new edition is coming.

I’ve gone back through my notes regarding the various wacky newsletter drawings, and at this point the two which are most likely to come next are the Grey Gardens and Umberto D Blu-ray upgrades. Expanding this to the New Years drawing, we can expect things like Quadrophenia and Eating Raoul, and the others which are a little more uncertain.

Janus Films has several films which they’ve been touring, which Criterion will certainly get around to soon. Films like The Soft Skin, Le Havre, La Promesse, and Week End are due soon. Hopefully we’ll also get a new Blu-ray for Children Of Paradise, once the newly restored print makes its run around the country. They also have their hands on a number of Robert Bresson films which have been in theaters over the past few weeks, and a couple have popped up on Criterion’s Hulu Plus channel.

Looking a little further down the line, into fall & winter possibilities, I’d love to see Criterion release The Royal Tenenbaums on Blu-ray in November, echoing last years Rushmore upgrade.

It’s always fun to think about what Criterion has in store for the holidays, when they typically unveil a box set for the really enthusiastic home video fans. There are always a number of potential candidates for something like this. Could we see a Chaplin set? A Bergman collection? A Blu-ray version of the Kurosawa set from a few years back? I think at this point I’m putting my money on Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy as a front runner. This was confirmed as a title that Criterion was working on several months ago at the Wexner Center, and I think is the only of the revealed titles that we’re still waiting on. This could also be a good August title, where Criterion has released things like the Jean Vigo collection, and the Von Sternberg box set in the past. Other potential November box set candidates? Maybe Kieslowski’s Decalogue or this Wim Wenders box set that we covered a few months back.

I think a big title to look forward to has to be Badlands, which has been rumored for a while now, and word on the street is that the Warner Bros legal folks have finally signed off on it. This could be a good September film, mirroring The Thin Red Line from a few years back.

We’re still waiting on things like Wild Strawberries on Blu-ray, Y Tu Mama Tambien, the Game, and Following. None of the recent IFC titles are jumping out as future releases, apart from Pina, which was confirmed last year. The Errol Morris films were confirmed at the same time, along with 4 Months, 3 Weeks, And 2 Days.

Heaven’s Gate has also been talked about for a few years now, but still hasn’t happened.

A number of rumored MGM films still haven’t materialized, like Thief, the Fellini films that MGM has released, and Koyaanisqatsi & Powaqqatsi.

There’s usually a number of genre titles that we expect to see around Halloween, but I don’t see any obvious front runners emerging so far this year. There are certainly fun films on the Hulu channel that could fill this role, but who knows.